MUSIC could soon play a key role in dementia patient care, after a pilot program partly based in the Riverland showed personalised interventions improved behaviour and reduced staff stress.
Harmony in the Bush, a study run by Flinders University in five rural nursing homes including Barmera’s Bonney Lodge and Hawdon House, developed an intervention program incorporating individual music selections, resulting in a significant reduction in resident agitation and staff stress levels.
The non-pharmacological program led to less dysfunctional behaviour and psychological symptoms in the trial group of 74 people living with dementia.
Flinders Rural and Remote Health research lead, Renmark-based Dr Vivian Isaac, said personalising and incorporating patients’ interests into their care plan helped develop a low-stress environment.
“As dementia progresses, patients’ processing capacity goes down, but they still retain the capacity to enjoy music, and that’s personalised music – music that they used to enjoy,” he said.
“Training the staff about person-centred care and the need for understanding the person, developing a low-stress environment and including personalised activities are key components of this program.”
The Harmony in the Bush model also led to a 22 per cent decrease in the use of psychotropic medications, including antipsychotics and antidepressants among the trial group.
Dr Isaac said personalised care programs like Harmony in the Bush were particularly important for rural aged care facilities, where psychotropic medications are more prevalent, resources are more limited and staff stress is higher.
“Rural aged-care facilities have certain challenges: access to workforce, the transience of the workforce, and access to information and services are limited,” he said.
“What we found in our study is that personalised care and having music reduces the stress level of the staff, and we anticipate this reduction would lead to better retention of staff.
“This aspect is more important in rural settings where staff stress is high and resources are limited in terms of training and education.”
The study also provided evidence that the new model could potentially be used in low-resource settings, though further studies will look at the program’s cost-effectiveness and reliability.
“This is definitely promising evidence, and it can be rolled out in other aged care settings,” Dr Isaac said.
“We also need large-scale studies to validate and check the reliability of the findings and develop certain guidelines for the program.
“Cost-effectiveness is also important and could influence policy.
“We need more investment in this area, and it’s important to use existing evidence in the care of dementia patients.
“There also needs to be a review of the Royal Commission (into Aged Care Quality and Safety) and to keep working to improve the system, but we have a long way to go.”